


Method to the Madness

by Zemmiphobia



Series: To Raise a Child [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Culture, Alien Sex, Anal Sex, BOM!Keith, Disabled Character, Keith has all the dads, Keith raised by Blade of Marmora AU, Keith's Dad lives, Keith's dad is named Steven, Kid!Keith, M/M, Mentions of Ableism, Misunderstandings, Not canon compliant as of S3, Rimming, Xenogenitalia, courting, oblivious idiots in love, rarepair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 15:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10221683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zemmiphobia/pseuds/Zemmiphobia
Summary: "The night we bonded we beat the shit out of a mugger, bought a pizza, and… well, you can probably imagine what the rest of the night was like."Steven's a simple man trying to raise his kid on an alien space ship in the middle of a millennium old war. He's got a full plate already, so he'd really like to know why Thace keeps laughing at him and Antok keeps appearing around every damn corner.





	

Steven groaned and let his head fall to the table, content to let it lie against the cool metal surface. Ignoring the huff of amusement from the table’s only other occupant, he rubbed his forehead back and forth to enjoy the full experience.

“You appear to be leaving a trail.” Said his host dryly followed by the click of a cup being set down.

“I’m part slug.” Steven sat up reluctantly and studied the smear of sweat he had left behind. “I certainly feel damp enough.” He lifted his shirt and used its hem to wipe the moisture away, looking up just in time to see Ulaz’s grimace. “It’s just salt water, grandma.”

“That you secrete from your pores.” Ulaz added, picking his cup up and taking a sip. His empty cup. Steven rolled his eyes and hit the control panel of his chair to bring it closer to the table.

“Don’t be so dramatic.” he said, settling his lunch in front of him. “It’s good, clean sweat. Fruit of my labor. Hard day’s work, hard day’s sweat and all that.”

“You’ve been going over the routine I gave you?” Ulaz leaned closer, folding his arms to give Steven a stern look. “All of it?”

“Yeah,” The cloth wrapping fell away and Steven took a deep, appreciative breath. Damn it smelled good, merjmerj was his favorite. He scooped up a spoonful and slipped it into his mouth, humming in appreciation as the spices hit his tongue. He opened his eyes to see that Ulaz was still staring at him. Steven hunched his shoulders, pulling the food closer. “What? It’s _healthy_. It’s got vegetables and everything.”

“And twice its weight in toxins. Don’t deny it, I can smell them from here.”

“What is it with you guys and spices? I can handle a little heat, this doesn’t even come close to the stuffed kimchi peppers my grandmother made.”

“It’s poisonous.”

“It’s delicious and you’re just going to have to live with it.” He stuffed a spoonful in this mouth and wrapped an arm around the box, glaring at his doctor. The alien sighed, leaning back to shake his head. It had a fond tilt to it, though, so Steven let his arm relax. After a moment of watching him wolf down his food, Ulaz slipped a tablet out of his pocket and tapped it.

“Well, if I can’t force you to stop filling yourself with acid, at least allow me to go over your regimen. I’ve been meaning to catch you for a checkup for a while now.”

“Right.” Said Steven, torn between making an escape and enjoying his meal. “Sure, why not.”

Ulaz smiled, looking as if he knew exactly what was running through Steven’s mind. He probably shouldn’t have avoided him last week by ducking into the consul room. Why had he thought no one would notice him?

“Perfect. Let’s start with the chair. Any problems with the controls?”

“Nope, handles like a dream.” Steven patted the arm affectionately. “The upgrades were messing with the air propulsion but I added a mod to balance them back out.”

Ulaz paused, fingers hovering over his screen.

“Does your staff _know_ that you made some modifications?”

Steven tapped his finger against the arm, smiling. No doubt his underlings had been bragging about their design, he would have to work on improving their discretion.

 “Still waiting for them to notice.” And how sad was that? “I think I’ll give the first one a prize, maybe one of the slot chips I’ve been working on.”

“And if none of them notice?”

“Well then,” Steven leaned back in his chair, his smile turning smug. “they’ll be doing maintenance drills until their eyes cross.”

And really, that was more than they deserved if they couldn't pick up a subclass 205 code. What Kolivan had been thinking putting those newborns in charge of research and development was beyond him. Ten thousand years of advanced technology and they still were beating rocks together.

“I see I don’t have to worry about your mental health.” Ulaz said, typing something into his tablet. “It’s good to know you aren’t wasting away from boredom.”

“I try.” Steven said humbly, polishing off his lunch. He lifted it, debating on whether he could get away with licking the sides of the box, before putting it down with a sigh. “And before you ask, my physical health is fine. The new shape of the seat has been great for improving my flexibility. There’s been no muscle stains and I haven’t flipped out of the chair once.”

“You’ve moved to combat testing?”

“Yeah, just last cycle. I’ve been working with… uh, the quiet one, with the tail.” He thought for a moment. “Antok? I think, I don’t think he ever directly told me his name.”

“Yes, that would be him. I didn’t realize he had the time.”

Steven shrugged.

“Came up when I was working with one of the drones and offered to lend me a hand. He’s pretty fast so it’s been useful for monitoring the chair’s maneuverability. I think I clipped his tail a few shifts ago, though. Felt kind a bad about that, I tried to give it a look but he ran off before I could see if I broke the armor. He didn’t say anything the next time so it must not have been too bad.”

Ulaz stared at him.

“You... clipped his tail.”

“Yeah, I was trying to swing the chair around while he was doing a flip and I think the tail got caught between me and the wall. I definitely heard a yelp, anyways.”

“A _yelp_.” Ulaz asked in disbelief.

“Yes, Ulaz, a yelp.” Steven muttered with annoyance. “A small high noise people make when other people accidently smash their small appendages into a wall. I said I felt bad about it, you don’t need to rub it in.”

He tilted his head, daring Ulaz to say anything else but Ulaz was no longer looking at him. Instead his eyes had dropped to his empty food box.

“Of course,” Ulaz said, an odd expression on his face. “Did you, did you make that yourself?”

Bit of a weird conversation change, Steven thought, but he was ready to not talk about the time he maybe made the big, quiet second-in-command-of-this-whole-fucking-base cry.

“Are you joking? The last time I tried to get into the kitchens, the head of the serving staff patted me on the head, handed me a sandwich, and said something in Galran that I’m only fifty percent positive was not an insult.”

Ulaz’s gaze snapped back to Steven’s face, a soft sad look creeping into his eyes.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean to be insulting.” Ulaz said, ears down. “Most Galra don’t have a lot of experience with people with… injuries as permanent as yours.”

“Survival of the fittest.” Steven muttered snidely, shoulders around his ears. He sighed. “No, I get it. I wasn’t offended.” Much. “I got my sandwich out of it so it’s no big deal. Anyways, I don’t go down there much now. I usually just grab it off the line or have one of my und… uh, staff get me something.”

“And that’s from your staff?” Ulaz was staring at him intently. Steven rubbed a hand over his mouth, wondering if he had left something on his chin.

“Uh, no. Antok gave it to me after we finished sparring.” He said, hoping that would satisfy the scientist’s endless curiosity. If this was going to descend into another shift long rapid fire question and answer session, he was leaving immediately.  

Almost as if he had said the words out loud, Ulaz pulled back and smiled blandly, the strange gleam in his eyes dying away as if it had never been.

“That was nice of him.” The scientist said, tucking his tablet away. “Did he say anything?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Steven blinked, trying to pull his thoughts back to the conversation. “Something about being a strong opponent, I think.” He hadn’t really been paying attention after the smell of properly seasoned food had hit his nose.  “I should probably make him something back, right?”

“Oh absolutely,” Ulaz agreed brightly, jumping to his feet. “I’ve heard he has a fondness for sweets. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Thace I’d go over some reports with him.” And before Steven could so much as raise a hand in goodbye, the Galra turned and almost ran from the mess hall. Steven watched him go, bewildered, before sighing in realization.

He wished he had someone to run off and have sex with.

~-~

“And then... and then, Instructor was like ‘whoosh’” Keith demonstrated the swing his teacher had used, whipping his tiny training staff through the air like he was playing baseball. “And WHACK! Tiir went flying into a _wall_.”  The staff spun above his head and came to a stop against the floor. Keith leaned on it, smirking at his dad. “It was ‘cuz he wasn’t putting enough weight on his left leg.” He said with all the authority of a seven-year-old.

“And how do you know that?” Steven asked, glancing up from the robot he had gutted all over his work table. Keith huffed, giving his dad a dramatic eye roll.

“Please,” he said, drawing out the word until Steven wasn’t even sure it still was one, “it was pretty obvious he wasn’t balanced. A breeze could have knocked him over.”

“And Thace told you.”

Keith wrinkled his nose, propping the staff up against the wall.

“Fine, and Uncle Thace told me. It was pretty obvious though.” He insisted, climbing up to sit in his dad’s lap. “After he told me where to look.” He studied the parts for a moment and then reached over to grab a chip from the far side. “Here, use this one. I want it to have lasers.”

“It’s for spying,” Steven said with his own eyeroll, pushing the piece back, “not for fighting.”

“But what if it needs to cut something open?” Keith insisted, “If what if it had to break down a door and rescue someone? If you don’t give it lasers, it’ll have to cut it with like a knife or something.” He turned to the robot, perking up. “Oh wait, you should give it a knife!”

“Nope!” Said Steven, cutting him off before he could continue. “Absolutely no sharp objects or lasers. It will have a tiny— _tiny_ — taser and it will be for defense only. Why are you so bloodthirsty?” He lamented as Keith pouted. “Were you always this terrifying or just since Thace took you on that camping trip?”

“I am a warrior of a strong bloodline!” Keith shouted, nearly toppling himself out of his dad’s lap as he threw his hands in the air. “All shall fear me!”

“That would be a yes on the camping trip, then.” He moved his chair back and rolled Keith, who was still shouting about being a mighty fighter at the top of his lungs, off his legs and onto the bed. “I was obviously not in my right mind when I signed off on that.”

Keith rose to his knees, opening his mouth when a knock at the door cut through the room. The two froze, turning to look at it.

“I—

“I’ll get it!” Shouted Keith, scrambling over the arm before Steven could finish. “I’ll get it!”

“Ok, ok!” Steven threw his hands up, “God forbid I come between you and the door.”

He maneuvered his chair back and drifted towards his work table. He could hear Keith babbling from the hallway. He couldn’t make out the voice of their guest, just a low rumble that could have belonged to any of the Galra on the base.

It was probably Thace, he thought as he picked his screwdriver back up. He had returned from his mission last shift and wanted to see his nephew before heading to bed. Steven tapped the tool against the casing. The mission had been a couple weeks, he’d no doubt be on the base for a few days… long enough for a thank you, a little gift to welcome him home. Lost in an internal debate over the merits of a trigger trap, he almost missed their arrival.

Keith entered first, shyly answering a question about his training. It was not Thace on his heels, however, to Steven’s surprise, but Antok. Head to toe in armor, mask in place, and a pair of small bundles tucked under his arm, the Galra stopped at the entrance to the room and gave Steven a short bow.

“Oh, hey, Antok. Weren’t you on a mission this cycle?”

The Galra nodded, hovering in the doorway even when Keith stepped past him and settled on the bed.  Steven waited and when the other man made no move to continue, coughed awkwardly.

“That’s, uh, nice. I mean, it’s good that you came home. Safe. And not injured?”

“A shot grazed my leg but left no lasting damage.” Antok confirmed solemnly. “Thank you for your concern.”

Silence.

Steven glanced at Keith but the kid was just looking back and forth between the two adults, for all the world like he was at a damn sporting event. He looked back at Antok.

“Do you want to sit down?”

He finally asked, waving a hand at the chair next to his desk. The area in front of it was covered with Keith’s artwork but Steven figured Antok could just deal with it.

The Galra nodded and took the offered chair.

“I have brought this.” He said, placing one of his bundles on the table in front of Steven. “Please accept it.”

“Oh thanks,” said Steven, baffled, as he started tugging at its covering. “is it a part or somethi…” He trailed off as the wrapping fell to the ground, revealing the contents within. “Oh shit— Keith, forget that— is this a C.I.?”

“It is a C.I.630.” Antok confirmed as Steven flipped the little data chip over to examine it excitedly. He leaned over and handed the second bundle to Keith, who began to tear into it. Steven barely noticed.

“Where did you even find this? I thought they were ridiculously expensive, Kolivan laughed me out of his office when I brought it up. Look at this casing!” He laughed, shoving his half-finished robot out of the way and fished a small cleaning unit that he had been repairing out of the drawer. He glanced up at Antok, who was watching him. Hard to tell what he was thinking behind his mask but he was leaning forward, looking at the unit in Steven’s hands.

“Can you even imagine what I could do with this?” Steven cackled, “The level of _intelligence_ in one of these, I mean there are really no words!” He launched into an excited mess of technical jargon and half-finished thoughts as he peeled open the cleaning unit’s programing slot and began to hardwire the C.I chip inside.

Antok leaned closer, watching as Steven jabbered on, handing tools to him as he demanded them, listening intently despite Steven having to stop several times to hold something in his mouth while his hands were busy. Who knew Antok was into programing? Steven thought absently as he worked.

Concentrating on the wires under his fingers, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Antok’s hand closed around his wrist. He looked up at the Galra, screwdriver hanging limply from between his teeth.

“Hmm?”

“My apologies but I must leave now.” The Galra said formally, rising to his feet. Steven glanced at the clock and winced when he realized it was three shifts into what passed as nighttime on the base.

“Shit, yeah man, sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late. Thanks for the chip, I can’t believe you found one.” He paused awkwardly unsure if he should bring up repayment. Was it a gift… damn he really hated social interactions. “It’s… uh, pretty awesome.”

For a moment, Antok did not move and Steven was sure he had offended the guy. But before he could blurt out something equally stupid, the Galra bowed a little at the waist.

“I am pleased to hear so.” He said, “thank you for allowing me to watch.”

“Uh, sure, no problem.” Steven said, relieved that he hadn’t said the wrong thing. “You’re welcome to come back and see it when it’s done downloading.”

Steven watched as Antok nodded and left, tail swishing behind him. The door had barely shut behind him before Keith’s voice drifted out of the bed.

“Uncle Thace says you’re as thick as a warship hull sometimes.” The kid said out of the blue, eyes barely open from where he had buried his face in the pillow. A new training staff was tucked to his chest.

“And you can tell Thace that… actually, never mind. I’ll tell him myself.”

“Trip wires don’t count as conversation.” Keith recited sleepily. “Laz says so.”

“And I’ll tell Ulaz too. The more the merrier.”

~-~

“Little brother!” Thace cried loudly across the garden, causing several milling soldiers to glance up and stare at the major as he strolled across the grass with his arms held wide. Steven flinched and dropped the tablet he had been holding. He stared at it morosely before his vision was filled with Thace’s chest as the bigger man threw his arms around him.

“Why hasn’t Ulaz drowned you yet?” He asked through a mouthful of fur as his face was smooshed into his brother-in-law’s neck.

“Because he loves me and Keith would be upset.” Thace pulled back, letting Steven drop back into his chair with a light thump. “And so would you, you’d miss your big brother.” He ruffled Steven’s hair, ignoring the hand batting his away. “What are you doing out here, anyways? You’re a little far from all your little machines.”

“I’m not allowed outside now, is that what you’re saying?” Steven snipped as Thace dropped into the bench beside him.

“Well, we thought about it but Kolivan decide that the embarrassment of being seen in public with you would make great endurance training.”

“So happy to help.” He waved a hand at his tablet, pleased when Thace leaned down and picked it up for him. “I’m actually working, not that you’d know about that. Some of us don’t spend all our time flirting in bars.”

“Hey,” Thace said, putting a hand to his chest. “I’ll have you know that flirting is very difficult. It takes hours to practice.”

“Only hours? You should beef up your training schedule.”

“Good idea,” Thace smirked, “I’ll let Ulaz know.”

“Ugh, don’t tell me that. Why would you…?” Steven shuddered, bending his head back to the tablet. “Just sit there and be quiet, would you?” Thace laughed but obliged, closing his eyes and leaning back with his hands tucked behind his head to enjoy the artificial sunlight. Satisfied, Steven turned back to his calculations. He got a few minutes of peace before his brother-in-law began to fidget again.

“I’m researching movement strategies for my chair.” Steven said bluntly, cutting Thace off before he could ask. “Calculating the changes, I need to be able to pull off certain formations.” He added when Thace opened his mouth again. Thace huffed, forcefully nudging the edge of Steven’s chair with his foot.

“It’s annoying enough when Ulaz does that.” the Galra muttered. “Besides, that wasn’t what I was going to ask.”

Steven pushed his chair back, coincidentally ramming the rounded corner into Thace’s shin.

“Oh?” He asked cheerfully as the other man swore, clutching his leg, “Well, I _do_ apologies. Please enlighten me.”

“Asshole.” Thace muttered. Some insults were universal, after all. “I was going to ask how your— He cut off suddenly, shifting to look over Steven’s left shoulder. Getting to his feet, he snapped out a casual salute. “Greetings, Lieutenant Antok.” Thace said, grinning. “What a surprise.” Startled, Steven turned in his chair to look behind him, half expecting to find Thace pulling his leg.

For once, though, Thace was serious. Antok was behind him, standing stiffly at the back corner of his chair, almost close enough Steven could have reached out and touched him.

“Hi,” Steven said lamely, flushing. “I didn’t hear you come up. You’re pretty quiet.” For some reason, that caused Antok to stand even straighter. Steven was glad he wasn’t a soldier, that position looked like it was a few seconds away from being incredibly uncomfortable. It was doing great things for his arms, though, Steven thought, dropping to look at the thick muscles that bulged out of the thin training material. Without the thick armor plating over top, it was easy to see the corded strength running up from his wrists. As he watched, they moved from their position at Antok’s side to cross over his chest. Steven gulped, following the motion.

Thace laughed, startling him. Realizing he had been all but ogling the guy’s _arms_ , for fucks sake, Steven torn his eyes away to glare at his brother-in-law. He was back on his bench, lounging with a very satisfied smile as he flicked his eyes between Antok and Steven.

“Thank you.” Said Antok seriously, drawing Steven’s attention back. He stared at the Galra in confusion before realizing that Antok was responding to his earlier comment.

“Right,” said Steven with a high, short laugh. He could feel his face flushing again. “not a problem. Can I do you?” He asked and then froze, horrified. “I mean, what can I do _for_ you? Oh my god.” Thace, the bastard, was laughing again. Thankfully, Antok seemed to have missed the slip. He dipped his head and waved a hand at the training grounds on the far side of the garden.

“You mentioned needing to see a Blade in action to improve your chair’s system analysis. I am currently free of all duties, if you would like my assistance.”

“Oh, that’d be great!” Steven enthused. It had been like pulling teeth trying to convince any of the Galra to go through their routines for him. Secretive bastards. “I’m not recording them,” he promised as he drifted his chair after Antok, Thace just behind him as they headed closer to the small arena. “I just need to see how fast you guys move and what kind of range the chair needs to be able to avoid.”

“I am quite fast.” Antok agreed, coming to a stop where the grass ended and the sand began. “And my reach is unparalleled.” He nodded politely before Steven could form a response and headed for the center of the field. Younger soldiers hurried out of the way, flocking to the sides and leaving a wide space for the Lieutenant to move in. Steven watched in growing awe as he dropped into the first routine, body flowing like water. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Galra training before, he thought weakly. Hell, he had sparred with Antok just yesterday. But as he watched Antok flip neatly over a drone and sent it flying with a kick, he realized that there was a big difference between sparring and _watching_.

Antok’s fighting was like poetry.

There really was no other way to describe it. Every step he took, every swing, every jump, was done with a grace that belied the strength underneath. As Steven watched, Antok dodged a swipe of the drone’s staff, coming up under it with a jab of his sword that sent the machine tumbling back to the edge of the sand. It had barely rolled out of the way before the Galra had leaped after it, slashing his blade into the sand where its chest had been.

“What’s his speed?” Asked a voice in his ear.

Steven blinked. Speed? What? He turned blankly to Thace who was looking at him with an expectant smile.

“What?” He asked, dismayed to hear his voice croak mid syllable.

“What’s his speed?” Thace asked again, brow rising as his grin widened. “Aren’t you calculating it?”

“I— what? Oh, right.” Steven stumbled, fishing the tablet out from where it had slid between his leg and the chair arm. “Speed.” He pressed a thumb to the edge, turning the screen back on. Thace leaned over his shoulder and let out a whistle at the blank data sheet on the screen. Steven glared at him, shoving his head back.

“I got distracted.” He muttered, tapping in the first of his observations. “It’s not my fault you guys move like fucking cheetahs.”

“Not sure what that’s supposed to mean,” Thace said cheerfully, not at all bothered, “but I think you might have missed your chance.” He waved a hand at the arena where Antok was finishing off his drone with a loud crack.

Steven sighed, kicking himself for his distraction. It would take twice as long to finish his codes now and that was only if one of the other soldiers could be pressed to let him observe them. He was scanning the crowd at the edge of the field, looking for anyone he could be reasonably sure would accept a food bribe, when Antok approached them. Despite the battle, he was barely winded and when he bowed his head in greeting, there was no hint of weakness in his limbs.

“Were you pleased?” Antok asked quietly, drawing Steven’s attention away from his legs to his mask.

“Oh, well, I didn’t get the data I needed but it was a pretty good fight.” Steven assured him quickly. “I might be able to use the drone’s memory later, if the quartermaster will let me.”

“I see.” And to Steven’s surprise, the Galra almost sounded disappointed. “Would another fight assist your research?” He offered, looking as though he would turn and head down the lawn immediately. Steven blushed, embarrassed.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention—

Antok flinched.

Too surprised to continue, Steven trailed off as the Galra seemed to wilt in front of him. He had never seen the soldier look so… wilted. Usually, he looked as if someone had put a steel rod up his spine and starched his armor with iron.

“Uh…” he said intelligently.

“Too busy staring at you to put in his data.” Thace added helpfully from his bench, grinning like a lunatic. “I think he might have been drooling.”

Steven chucked his tablet at the idiot’s head.

“What the fuck!” He hissed, cheeks burning. “Why would you _say that_ , you fucking… I am going to reset all of your doors. Good luck getting to bed tonight, you absolute bastard.” Thace only chuckled, arm braced to shield his face from Steven’s attack.

“I am pleased with your admiration.” Antok said, sounding more cheerful than Steven had ever heard him. “I look forward to a more personal demonstration at your behest.” He paused, looking over at a younger soldier who was trying to flag him down. “I believe I must return to my duties, however.” He bowed to both of them, lingering at Steven, before taking his leave.

Steven stared at his retreating back, Thace laughing at his side.

“What?” He asked. Thace laughed harder.

“ _What?_ _”_ He turned to glare at his brother-in-law. “Did that just mean what I thought it meant?”

“I don’t know,” Thace batting away Steven’s hand as he tried to grab a handful of Thace’s under armor. “Do you think it means that he wants you to ride him like a—

“WHAT?!”

“Guess not, then.”

“Since _when?!_ _”_ Steven asked, his voice a little too high. Thace pretended to think about it.

“Hmm, was it when you somehow flipped him on his ass last year or when you managed to land a hit on his tail, it’s so hard to remember.”

Feeling a little lightheaded, Steven dropped back into his chair and ran a shaking hand through his hair. Suddenly the events of the last few months were making a _lot_ more sense.

“Shit.” He said with feeling. “ _Shitshitshit_.”

“Oh stars, you wouldn’t imagine how hilarious this is from this side.” Thace got out. “I can’t wait until Keith gets old enough, it’s going to be great.”

“Sure, right up until Ulaz sets the poor kid on fire.” Steven said through his hands as he pressed them to his face. “Shit, I… uh, I need to go process this.” He spun his chair around and headed for the door.

“Don’t worry,” Thace called after him, “I’ll let Ulaz know we get Keith tonight!”

Steven made a rude gesture just as the doors closed behind him.

~-~

The evening shift found him waiting outside Antok’s room in the dim light of the hallway. There wasn’t much foot traffic this way, not at this time of the night. Most of the senior officers who lived this way were either already home or still on shift, which was perfect because Steven wasn’t sure how to explain this to himself let alone anyone else.

Footsteps made him look up and suck in a breath, visions of an angry Commander Kolivan in his bunny slippers baring down on him flashing before his eyes. He let it out in a sigh of relief when Antok came around the corner. Steven knew when he had been spotted by the slight hitch in the other man’s stride. Despite the slight hesitation, the soldier did not stop until he was within arm’s length of Steven’s chair.

“Steven.” Antok dipped his head politely.

“Antok, hi. Er, you’re probably wondering what I’m doing outside your room… in the middle of night.” Steven said, resisting the urge to just give up and disappear down the hall as fast as he could go. He could avoid Antok forever, right? He’d just never been able to leave his room. Perfect!

He sighed.

“Look, I just have some questions if you have some time?”

Antok nodded and keyed in his code, waving Steven ahead of him. As soon as the door opened, the interior lights flipped on, revealing the typical spartan living space that housed most of the soldiers. The main room boasted a few shelves lined, to Steven’s surprise, with a large quantity of brightly colored crystal rocks. The overhead lights caused them to cast a soft kaleidoscope of color against the walls. Beneath them was a table with two chairs across from a dresser. A lone door opened into a shadowed room that was presumably Antok’s bedroom. Steven swallowed hard and forced his eyes away from it.

Politely, he moved his chair to the table, Antok following up to take the chair beside him. The Galra placed his hands in front of him and watched Steven with an expectant air. It was hard to tell when he was wearing his mask but Steven was surprised to find that the Galra seemed… nervous.

“Right.” He coughed, feeling the words dry up in this throat. _Do you like me_ made him sound like he was a pre-teen and _Are you fucking with me_ suddenly felt like an invitation. “So, uh. Courting. Is a thing?” Oh god, Steven thought, should have gone with option B. Thankfully, Antok understood what he had meant.

“Yes.” The Galra said with a formal tilt of his head. “It pleases me to invite you into a bonding, Steven Kogane. I await your response to my offer with the patience that you are due.”

Steven held up a hand, feeling a headache forming behind his eyes.

“Ok, wait. I should probably just start with the fact that I had _no idea_ about any of this until this afternoon.  I feel kinda bad about that, honestly, but this is… well, I have no fucking clue what this is.”

Antok tilted his head, inappropriately reminding Steven of a large dog.

“You have bonded with a Galra in the past.” Antok said slowly, sounding just as confused as Steven. “You bear her mark on your thigh and have produce an offspring of your shared lines.” The more he spoke, the tenser his shoulders got and it wasn’t hard for Steven to follow his thoughts.

“Whoa, hold up. I’m not messing with you.” Steven hurried to assure him. “It’s just that Javi and I… uh, well if she did anything like this, I didn’t notice. The night we bonded we beat the shit out of a mugger, bought a pizza, and… well, you can probably imagine what the rest of the night was like. There wasn’t this… formal words and steps and whatever you’ve been doing. I’m not even sure why you’re interested, to be honest. I’m not exactly the Galra’s idea of a good time. And there’s Keith. I can’t just take up with someone without telling him.

Even before he had lost most of the use of his legs, he had barely been tall enough to reach Javi’s breasts. No fur, small ears, and now…

Antok reached over and placed a hand over Steven’s where he had been digging his fingers painfully into his own palm.

“Peace, Steven.” Antok said, gently uncurling his fingers and rubbing a soothing circle over the abrasions. “It seems I must apologize. My assumptions have caused you distress, which was not my intention.”

“Its fine.” Steven muttered. He took a deep breath and left his hand in Antok’s loose grip. “Why don’t you explain your… courtship to me.”

Antok nodded, still moving his hand in small comforting circles. “A bondmate is worthy of respect in battle and deserving of care.” The Galra spoke slowly with the rhymical tone of someone reciting a story. “To prove true devotion, a courtship must show provision, interest, and protection.”

“You made me food.” Steven said quietly, almost questioningly.

Antok nodded.

“I asked your son for your preferences and made a dish I knew would please you.”

“It was… really good.” Steven mumbled, half tempted to bury his burning face in his hands. “And then you got that chip and shit, how did I not think that was weird. You sat and listened to me talk about robots for two hours.”

“Your response gave me hope that my courtship would be accepted. I asked your son and brother for advice and both agreed that my steps were satisfactory.” Antok sat back, releasing Steven’s hand with clear reluctance.  The Galra sighed, the sound heavy behind the thick armor over his face. “My deepest apologies.” Antok bowed his head. “It is a great insult to continue a courtship without clear acceptance. In my arrogance, I choose to interpret your reactions as positive. I will withdraw my offer, there will be no—

  
“Wait.” Steven held up a hand, cutting him off. “Just… hold on a tick, I didn’t… I’m not saying no.”

Antok studied him silently, as if he could see straight into Steven’s soul.

“But you are not saying yes.” The Galra concluded after a moment, sounding defeated. Resisting the urge to just say ‘fuck it’ and throw himself at the bigger man, Steven ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I’m saying _I don_ _’_ _t know_. I literally never considered this, not even a little bit.”

“Your ability in battle is only matched by your intelligence.” Antok said, sounding a tiny bit defensive. “You are worth of respect.”

Steven rolled his eyes.

“Look, even on Earth I wouldn’t be much a catch and I know how Galra get around…” he trailed off and patted his leg awkwardly. “It’s not rocket science.”

Antok stared at him before tentatively asking, “Why would it be—

“Nevermind, it’s an expression.”

They stared at each other in silence. After a moment, Steven leaned back and crossed his arms, turning his gaze resolutely to the ceiling.

“I mean,” he said quietly, “I haven’t even seen what you look like.”

Antok jumped, hand raising to touch his mask as if he had forgotten its existence. Steven watched him out of the corner of his eye.

“I do not often take it off.” He admitted, running a finger along its edge thoughtfully. “But perhaps…” With a sudden sense of purpose, he reached back into his hood and started undoing the straps.

Steven jumped, leaning forward in his chair with a hand out.

“Wait, you don’t have to… I didn’t mean—

“Be at peace, Steven.” Antok said with a chuckle as the mask fell away. “It is another assumption I need to correct.” He set the heavy plate on the table and pushed the hood back to his shoulders. Steven stared, unable to stop himself from drinking in the sight.

Antok was a typical Galra, with the large ears he had come to associate with the upper class. Unlike Thace, Antok’s ears were full, perked above his head more like a dog than his cat-like brother-in-law. Even Javi’s ears hadn’t been so straight. His crest was also longer, coming down past his chin until it pulled back into a braid much like his commander. Both layers of fur were the usual varying shades of purple, with the shorter fur of his face a light almost pearl color and the top a dark plum.

There was something off about it, a shadow that didn’t seem right in the dim light. After a second, Steven realized that stretched across Antok’s face was a large, ridged scar.

It looked as if something has splashed acid from his left chin all the way over his left eye and up past the hairline on the right side of his face. It was hairless but a light lilac color. If it wasn’t for its rough texture, it could have blended into his fur in the right light. His left eye sat in the middle of it, completely white.

Blind.

Steven sucked in a breath, wanting to reach and touch. He forced his hands to stay in his lap as he met Antok’s gaze. The galra smiled, the left side twisted by the scar tissue. It was a sad smile. As Steven watched, the Galra reached up and ran a finger over his scarred cheek.

“I did not realize you were unaware.” He admitted quietly. “Most know of my appearance, though few of the younger soldiers have seen it.”

“I thought Galra liked scars?” Steven asked, matching his tone to Antok’s until the words came out almost at a whisper.

“Scars, perhaps. Blindness, no. If I was in Zarkon’s army, I would be sent to the Pit for this deformity.”

“And this is why…?”

“Your own injuries have nothing to do with my interest,” Antok said firmly, reaching out to take Steven’s hand, “save my admiration for your strength and the belief that you would…”

“Understand?” Steven asked, giving in and lacing his fingers with Antok’s. The Galra stared at their joined hands, a sudden fierce joy blooming over his face. Steven watched him and felt that it was something he would like to see more often.

Antok nodded.

“I have surprised you twice over.” He said simply, visibly trying to get his smile under control. “I should allow you time to consider fully—

“No.”

Antok stared, the smile faltering. Steven took the opportunity to tug him closer, using their hands like a leash, until the Steven could smell the smoky scent of his armor polish.

“I don’t need time, thanks. Consider your offer formally accepted.” Antok’s mouth dropped and Steven leaned forward to press his lips over it, savoring the taste. It had been a while since he had last been able to enjoy the simple pleasure of kissing another person. “Humans have their own courtship, of course.” He added a little breathless when they pulled back. “I’ll need a little time to finish that up, but I’d definitely say we’re, er, pre-bonded. We just call it dating though.”

“Dating.” Antok repeated. “I would be pleased to learn more of your species’ culture.”

“Great,” Steven nudged his chair closer and ran his hands over the soft material covering Antok’s chest. “Let’s celebrate, yeah? It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure I remember how it goes.” When Antok gave him a short, distracted nod he pulled away and headed for the open door.

Jumping from his chair in a move that still managed to be graceful, Antok followed him into the bedroom, shedding his shirt as he walked. Steven grinned at the sight, pulling his chair up to the bed. Carefully, he lifted himself out and took a step to the bed, falling carefully onto its edge. Antok made no move to help him, just moved the chair to the side to stand before Steven with his hands at his sides.

“Help me take my pants off?” Steven asked, leaning back with his belt undone. Antok paused before, sinking to his knees, hands on Steven’s legs. His good eye flicked from the front of his pants to settle on Steven’s face, an oddly vulnerable look. “Hey,” Steven said, sitting up and putting his hand on Antok’s shoulders. “If you don’t want to go this, we could just cuddle or something. I’m always up for free heating. But if you’re holding back for me, you don’t have to. If I had thought you’d be interested, I would have made a move ages ago.” He pulled Antok closer and pressed their mouths together in a quick kiss.

Almost as if a switch has been flipped, the Galra surged forward, deepening the kiss until Steven found himself sprawled on his back panting for air as Antok dipped lower. He sucked in a breath as his pants peeled back and his cock slipped free into the cool air. Tossing the cloth aside, Antok leaned in and nipped him lightly on the inner thigh. Standing, he kicked his own pants off and leaned forward to kneel on the bed, pushing his upper thigh between Steven’s legs until it pressed intimately against his testicles.

“How do you want me?” Steven asked as Antok dipped his head to run his tongue over the smaller man’s neck. “Because I’m really wanting to see what that feels like.” He rubbed a hand over the Galra’s slit where Antok’s cock was peeking out of the folds. As he watched, the purple head pushed up into his fingers, eager for attention. Steven smiled, coaxing it out to its full length until he could wrap his hands around it and give it a small pump. Antok groaned into his neck, giving him another nip.

“Was that a yes?” He asked, daring to bite back, latching down on the meat of Antok’s furred shoulder. He pushed the Galra up, please when Antok fell back without protest. He scooted back until his head hit the pillows and let his legs fall open. “I’m going to need some lubricant, though, he said, reaching a hand down to give himself a short stroke.

“I was not expecting you to accept so quickly.” Antok admitted, moving forward to sit between Steven’s legs. He wrapped a hand around the engineer’s thighs and gently lifted them to his shoulders. “But it would be my honor to assist with this.” And before Steven could ask him to clarify, he leaned down and pressed his nose to the skin behind Steven’s testicles.

Surprised, Steven jerked and nearly dislodged himself from Antok’s hold. The Galra held firm, however, riding the moment with first his nose and then his tongue as he explored. He paid no more attention to any one part than another, driving Steven nearly insane as he teased up and down, leaving wet trails of saliva behind.

Just when the human was about to give him a firm nudge with his knee, Antok slipped deeper and finally… finally… put his tongue over the sensitive ring of muscle at the centre of Steven’s ass. Ignoring the flex of Steven’s hips, he mouthed at the opening, alternating sliding his tongue inside and licking broad stripes over it.

Below him, Steven was fighting to keep his hips in place and not ground down. Between his own arms propping him up and the firm gasp Antok has on his thighs, he was in no danger of falling, but he was very much in danger of coming over the both of them like a teenager.

Fitting, he though dimly as Antok drove his tongue deeper, since that was the last time someone had done this for him.

“Antok…Hey, I’m…” He panted, torn between relief and despair when Antok pulled back to look at him over his own cock. Antok smiled, a bit smug for someone who had just put his tongue up another man’s ass, and moved Steven down until he was half in the Galra’s lap. “Just get back up here.” Steven muttered, feeling his checks flush. He pulled the bigger man forward for a kiss as a pair of fingers pressed inside of him.  They pushed in and out, mimicking the tongue Steven sucked into his mouth.

Reaching down, he wrapped his hand around Antok’s cock and tried to follow the tempo of his fingers. He stuttered, losing the rhythm when the fingers curled and sent sparks shooting up his spine to pool in his stomach.

“I don’t think I’m going to last much longer.” Steven admitted into Antok’s mouth. “Getting a bit older, these days. Got the silver to prove it.” He joked. Antok responded with a lick to Steven’s temple, running his tongue over the silver hairs.

“I am not young, myself.” Antok agreed, pulling his hand away and settling both his arms at Steven’s hips. “It has been many years since I last had a bed partner.” Steven reached up and ran an finger over Antok’s ears the way he had seen Thace and Ulaz do. The way he might have done for Javi, had she lived. He thought she’s be proud of his choice to accept Antok’s courtship.

“Looks like we’re perfectly matched.” He said with a laugh, shifting his hips until he could feel the head of Antok’s cock at his entrance. “You’re never getting rid of me now.”

Slowly, Antok pushed inside, the drag against Steven’s prostate like fireworks of pleasure. The Galra let him adjust to the stretch before beginning to move at a faster pace. He pulled Antok down for another kiss, enjoying the steady slap of Antok’s thighs against his ass.

Already he could feel the heat pooling tighter until it broke in a wave, making him throw his head back with a shout as he came hard over his own stomach. Antok rode his orgasm, snapping his hips until they stuttered his own release.

They stayed like that, panting while the aftershocks died down to a feeling of boneless pleasure. Antok buried his face in the crook of Steven’s neck and seemed to be content to leave it there, breathing deeply. Probably trying to scent him, Steven thought affectionately. Galra. Always with the smelling.

He let Antok stay there for a moment, before gently pushing him away and rolling over onto his side.

“M’gonna take a nap.” He muttered, already closing his eyes. He could hear the other man shifting above him, the bed creaking softly. “Either cuddle with me or get a blanket.” He added, already feeling the chill of the room seeping into his bones.

He could almost hear Antok’s hesitation but after a moment, he felt the blankets being pulled out from under him. Before he could protest, Antok slipped in behind him and pulled him back against a very warm, very fluffy chest. Between Antok’s arms and the blanket over the both of them, Steven was sure he had never felt so comfortable.

I could definitely get used to this, he thought as his thoughts drifted away. Right after a little affectionate reve… reminder for his dear brother.

~-~

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> I am not disabled and I've never written a disabled character before. If anything is inaccurate or offensive, please let me know immediately! 
> 
> I actually started this a while back but it took a while to finish. I just really wanted an excuse to explore Steven more and his time with the Blades. I'm also planning a short story about how he and Keith's mom meet! It's kinda fun writing about human/alien romances.


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